As both sides soften their stance and indicate a rare willingness to retreat to the table, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday thew the ball at the government’s court to take the first step and “give a date and venue” for a meeting reconciling all political parties for dialogue.
In a tweet, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry asked the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government to assign a date and venue for a meeting of all political parties. He referred to Federal Minister of Law Azam Nazeer Tarar's emphasis on sitting together and resolving the issues.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also asked for talks,” he said. “Take this action further than statements as well and give a date and venue for the [political] parties to meet. Imran Khan has already favoured dialogues.”
The tweet fell on the heels of former premier and PTI chief Imran Khan’s statement that he was ready to “talk to anyone” and “render any sacrifice” for the sake of the country.
“I will not shy away from any sacrifice for the sake of Pakistan’s uplift, interest and democracy. In this regard, I am willing to talk to anyone and take every step towards it,” Imran had tweeted.
The former premier’s tweet had come a day after his successor – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif – extended an olive branch and signalled his willingness “to sit together to take the country forward”.
Separately, Fawad reiterated his stance and asked the government “for assigning date and venue” while addressing the media outside Lahore High Court.
Addressing PM Shehbaz and Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, he said: “You are making statements [so] you should move forward with it. Whatever venue [you decide and if there is an] invitation, Asad Umar is here.
PBC offers help
The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) on Friday said it was “ready to call/arrange” an All Parties Conference (APC) to take the conversation forward.
The apex regulatory body of lawyers, in a statement, stated that it was ready to invite all the central leadership of parliamentary parties to reconcile their disputes through dialogue and to hold free, fair and transparent elections to all Assemblies on a mutually agreed timeframe.
Haroon-ur-Rashid, Vice-Chairman and Hassan Raza Pasha Chairman, Executive Committee of the Pakistan Bar Council, said that the PBC and the legal fraternity believe in the supremacy of the constitution, the rule of law, independence of the judiciary as well as democracy and civil authority through the democratic process, and always resist to undemocratic forces, who become cause to destabilise the country.
They while realizing the gravity of the crisis and the very grim and chaotic situation of the country’s political, economic and social conditions said that all parliamentary parties should resolve their disputes through dialogue and pay attention to other major public issues like inflation, devaluation of currency and unemployment, the statement added.
"They also expressed that the Pakistan Bar Council and the legal fraternity have always strived for the aforementioned objectives and play a positive role in ensuring the continuity of the democratic process of the country as enshrined in the constitution, offered services for mediation among parliamentary parties in past through All Parties Conference (APC) and will continue to do so."
They further added that in the present situation, the Pakistan Bar Council is ready to call/arrange All Parties Conference and to invite all the central leadership of parliamentary parties to reconcile their disputes through dialogue and to hold free, fair and transparent elections to all assemblies on a mutually agreed timeframe.
They further endorsed the message of civil society and their invitation to form an informal group of mediators to engage with all parliamentary parties to start a reconciliation process to forge a national consensus on the holding of free, fair and transparent elections to all assemblies on a mutually agreed timeframe for the sake of country because the country cannot afford to further linger on prevailing tensions.
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